My review of THE SHOT RANG OUT by SCOTT HARRIS AND 51 FRIENDS

Acclaimed novelist SCOTT HARRIS set himself and 51 other authors the challenge of coming up with a 500 word short story with the same 18 word prompt:

‘The shot rang out. I heard her scream at the same time the bottle crashed to the floor.’

The result is the anthology THE SHOT RANG OUT. I’m one of these authors but I’m not reviewing my contribution.

One thing this anthology illustrates is the variety within the Western genre, something that has kept it alive for decades. And how many of these authors skilfully sidestep or eschew clichés to produce playful, original and surprising work. Certainly there’s a lot of saloons and gambling, including a lady gambler who bets a bottle of Napoleon brandy.

But there’s myth-makers too – Wild West shows, travelling players, dime novel writers alongside real western characters like Mark Twain, Calamity Jane and Doc Holliday.

We go from the humorous to the charming to the dark. From the action-packed – ‘Easy Work’ by RICK BREEDEN – to JOHN WHALEN’S ‘The Mescalero Incident’ with its sci-fi and horror elements. We have Mormons, lady outlaws and mail-order brides. Stories seen from the viewpoint of women, children and – in the case of LINDA HERMES’ ‘Hoot’n’Holler’ - two mules. 

VIC ANDERSON writes of the modern west. We get great opening lines – STEPHEN BURCKHARDT's ‘The heat was weighing on me like death on a corpse’ - and mean punchlines.  But CHERYL PIERSON bravely dispenses with a punch line and shows a short story can still hit the mark without one.  ERIC HARPER definitely has the best title. PATRICK MULDOON gives us a poem. Whilst some tales are ‘miniatures’ intensely focussed on one small incident, others like MICHAEL RITT’S ‘The Siren Song of Texas’ effectively pack a novel’s worth into 500 words.

If I was to list all the stories I liked this would be the world’s longest review. It’s difficult to pick favourites from among so many goodies, but three have particularly registered so far:

‘The Long Ride’ by TYLER BOONE flirts with the otherworldly. An outlaw on the run finds himself drinking – literally – in the ‘last chance saloon.’

‘One Last Job’ by RICHARD PROSCH. A lawman burying the pain of loss in alcohol decides to resolve the issue one way, but events steer him to another.

And ‘What Beats Three of a Kind’ by PAUL THOMAS which makes absolutely every word count.

Overall a collection of diverse thinkers having fun, and deceptively quick tales that reveal new layers each time you visit. Recommended.  

Other reviewers of THE SHOT RANG OUT:

‘One of the most unique and enjoyable books I have read in a very long time.’

‘The concept immediately suggests that these 52 stories will be repetitious. Yet nothing could be further from the truth… Short on words, long on pleasure.’

‘There are several stories I would love to see expanded into a full novel.’

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C2GFV2B/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523345636&sr=1-1&keywords=the+shot+rang+out+scott+harris

and

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C2GFV2B/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1523345888&sr=1-1-fkmr1&keywords=the+shot+ring+out+scott+harris